


Just Let the Feeling Grow

by lemonmangosorbet



Series: The Name of the Game [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Canon Compliant, Childhood Friends, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Pining, Sonia and Nessa are girlfriends because I said so, Unrequited Love, minor details of injury, or is it unrequited???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:07:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22464607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemonmangosorbet/pseuds/lemonmangosorbet
Summary: Surrounded by crowds in the streets of Hammerlocke, seeing the concern on their faces due to the events that Rose had started, Raihan couldn’t let his own worries about Leon show; he needed to keep a brave face.Raihan has had feelings for Leon for as long as he can remember, but he chooses not to dwell on the fact he's felt this way about Leon for almost 15 years. Instead, Raihan wears a facade he can hide his true emotions behind. To the public and adoring fans, he is Leon's greatest rival. To Leon, he is one of his closest friends, and Raihan doesn't want to complicate that. However, the events of the Darkest Day put Leon in a life-threatening situation. At the risk of losing someone he cares so much about, will Raihan confess his feelings?
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan
Series: The Name of the Game [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1616341
Comments: 13
Kudos: 143





	Just Let the Feeling Grow

**Author's Note:**

> At present day, the year is 2019 and the characters are the following ages: Raihan is 27, Leon is 25, Nessa is 27, and Sonia is 26.
> 
> The flashback in this fic is set in the year 2004, where the characters are the following ages: Raihan is 12, Leon is 10, Nessa is 12, and Sonia is 11.
> 
> For those of you reading: enjoy!!!

**Present Day - 2019**

Raihan knew what was happening; everyone in Galar knew. It was hard for anyone to ignore the news after Chairman Rose’s announcement during the final match of the Championship. Raihan knew Leon had gone to deal with Rose, to try and put a stop to what he was doing, and Raihan was worried. He knew Leon was the best trainer in the region; he wasn’t undefeated Champion for nothing. But still, the concern niggled at Raihan.

He had seen Leon briefly; one moment he was on the big screen about to battle, and the next, Raihan saw him running towards Hammerlocke gym and it’s underground power plant. But Leon hadn’t seen him; probably too focused on getting to Rose. Raihan wanted so much to follow Leon and help him, but he knew Leon wouldn’t want the help, and Raihan was tied up himself trying to evacuate the residents of Hammerlocke.

His worst fears were confirmed when he got a call on his Rotom phone. It was Sonia, her voice was shaky and Raihan could tell she’d been crying,

“Raihan? It’s Leon! He’s been hurt-”

Raihan could hear her trying to muffle a sob she’d been holding back; his concern and panic increased.

“Is he still in Hammerlocke?” Raihan asked, maintaining a calm voice; he’d become very skilled at hiding his true emotions when he needed to.

“Yes, but-”

“Sonia?”

She had cut herself off again, and Raihan could hear the faint sound of her cries.

“Raihan?” the new voice on the line was Nessa’s.

“Is he still in Hammerlocke?” Raihan repeated.

“Not for long. Rose has been stopped, so things in Galar should be going back to normal soon.”

Raihan wondered if he should feel bad that he didn’t really care about that at this moment; he just wanted to know what was happening to Leon.

Nessa didn’t need Raihan to press her for details, she continued promptly,

“Leon got injured battling this legendary Pokemon Rose summoned. The Pokemon has been captured now, so they’re taking Leon to the hospital in Wyndon.”

“Okay, I’m in Hammerlocke, but I’m still helping to get the residents to safety. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Sure,” Nessa replied, “see you soon then.”

“Wait!” Raihan let some of his worry slip through a crack in his facade, “Is he alright?”

“It’s hard to say,” Nessa hesitated, and Raihan felt his stomach lurch, “when they found him, he was unconscious. From what Hop told us, he took quite a beating- he tried to capture this legendary Pokemon, but it broke free from the Pokeball he used. When that happened, the blast from the Pokemon escaping knocked Leon to the ground. He might have a concussion.”

Surrounded by crowds in the streets of Hammerlocke, seeing the concern on their faces due to the events that Rose had started, Raihan couldn’t let his own worries about Leon show; he needed to keep a brave face.

“Okay. Thanks for letting me know.”

With that, he ended the call, and began spreading the word that Rose and his plans for the Darkest Dark had been stopped. He reassured them that everything would be okay, and he prayed that the same reassurance applied to Leon too.

* * *

**2004**

It was getting late, and Raihan, who’d been out training his Pokemon team, decided it was probably time to call it a night. At least, that’s what he had intended. On his way back to the nearest Pokemon Centre, he got a call. He didn’t recognise the number.

“Hello?”

“Hi, is that Raihan?”

“Yeah?” Raihan was sure he recognised the voice, but couldn’t remember from where.

“It’s Sonia- I don’t know if you remember me; we met a while ago near Turffield and you battled against my friend Leon.”

_‘Leon…’_

Raihan hadn’t forgotten about Leon. Sonia continued,

“Sorry about calling so late, I actually got your number from Nessa. You see, since the day you battled Leon, he went off on his own and decided he could only get stronger if he did his Pokemon journey solo. He usually messages me every day to let me know he’s alright, because he knows I worry about him, but I haven’t heard from him, and…”

Sonia trailed off, unable to complete her sentence.

“And you’re worried?” Raihan finished for her.

“Yeah.” she responded. The concern was clear in the tone of her voice.

“Where’s the last place he said he was?”

“That’s the thing. Yesterday he said he was heading through Glimwood Tangle next, but I haven’t heard from him since then. Nessa and I spent the last hour in Glimwood looking for him, but we can’t find him and I’m worried sick. I promised his mum I’d look out for him!”

Raihan was exhausted from the long day, but if he was honest with himself, he was worried too; he felt like he was responsible for Leon travelling on his own.

“Meet me by the Stow-on-Side entrance to Glimwood. I’ll get a Corviknight taxi and meet you there in a few.”

*****

After meeting Sonia and Nessa at the southern exit of Glimwood, they decided the best plan of action was to split up. By searching individually, they could cover more ground, and hopefully find Leon quicker. They each should be alright searching on their own; they were all decent trainers despite being young, and none of them had as terrible a sense of direction as Leon.

Raihan defeated another Impidimp with ease and continued his search, pushing through the thick foliage. He couldn’t help it; part of him was annoyed at Leon for getting himself lost. Leon was well aware of his awful sense of direction; everyone else reminded him about it often enough. And yet, he insisted on going through Glimwood on his own; surely he knew better than that?

However, Raihan felt like he was to blame too. Since that day they first met and they battled, Leon declared that he would continue his journey on his own. He insisted that travelling alone was the only way for him to become the greatest trainer in Galar; his words from that day still struck a chord with Raihan. Maybe, if the outcome of their battle had been different, Leon wouldn’t be travelling alone.

Raihan was preoccupied with thoughts of the day he first met Leon until he noticed a faint glow in the distance. It didn’t look like the same glow the mushrooms in Glimwood give off, so Raihan decided to investigate. He had to get off the main trail through Glimwood, walking through thick, tall grass that clearly wasn’t walked through very often. The roots of a large, old tree blocked his path, and he had to weave through them carefully, trying not to trip, continuing to walk towards the source of the light.

Finally, Raihan had to push through a bush. When he got to the other side, he found what was causing the strange glow. It was a Charmander’s tail; Leon’s Charmander. It was curled up on the ground, sleeping soundly, and next to it also sleeping soundly was Leon.

Leon’s backpack was next to him, but it was open and his possessions strewn across this small opening deep in the forest. It looked like he’d been robbed.

Raihan scrambled to get down to Leon’s level, grabbing Leon’s shoulders and shaking him to wake him up.

“Leon? Leon! Wake up!”

No effect. Charmander was undisturbed too.

Raihan quickly sent a message to Sonia and Nessa, sending them his location so they could find him. While he waited for them, he surveyed the damage more closely. Apart from Leon’s belongings, everything else seemed fine, including Leon himself and his Charmander.

“Raihan!”

Sonia burst through the shrubbery with Nessa in tow, and soon she was at Raihan’s side, kneeling down to check on Leon.

“What’s wrong with him?” there was an urgency in Sonia’s voice.

“I don’t know.” Raihan answered truthfully, “I found him like this and he won’t wake up.”

Sonia proceeded to do the same as Raihan had moments earlier, and try to shake Leon awake.

“Come on Leon, wake up!”

But it was no use; despite their shouting and shaking, Leon and his Charmander were in a deep sleep.

Tears brimmed in Sonia’s eyes,

“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have let him travel alone.”

Nessa, who had been stood back, presumably to give Leon some space, kneeled down next to Sonia, putting an arm around her.

“Hey, stop blaming yourself.” she gave Sonia’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

Raihan felt worse; he hated to see Sonia blame herself when he already felt like it was his responsibility that this was happening.

Suddenly the children realised they were no longer alone in the small clearing. There was a rustling coming from the bush they all had to pass through to get in; someone else had found them.

Raihan thought it could be a Pokemon, so his hand went to a Pokeball on his belt instinctively, but instead it was what he least expected. An older woman stepped into the clearing; she was wearing a long pink and blue dress, a wide brim hat, and carrying an umbrella. Despite going through the same thick foliage as they had, she looked much more tidy than them.

“What’s all the commotion? Don’t you children know what time it is?”

“Opal?” Raihan recognised her immediately; she was the leader of Ballonlea’s gym.

“Miss Opal, thank goodness you’re here!” Sonia exclaimed, jumping up, “My friend got lost in Glimwood and we found him here but we can’t get him to wake up!”

“It looks like someone’s been going through his bag,” Nessa chipped in, taking in the sight of Leon’s belongings around them.

Opal contemplated for a while before she spoke,

“I see. My gym isn’t far from here,” she turned to Raihan, “do you think you can carry him?”

“Yeah, of course I can.”

Raihan felt like it was the least he could do.

*****

In Opal’s gym, Leon had been tucked into a bed in one of Opal’s spare rooms. Charmander was curled up on Leon’s lap, still fast asleep.

“Your friend will be fine.” Opal reassured them, but it was more for Sonia’s sake, “There’s a lot of wild Shiinotic in Glimwood Tangle, and they like to use sleep powder on their prey. Most likely one wanted to drain this Charmander’s energy and your friend got in the way of the sleep powder attack.”

“But what about Leon’s bag?” Sonia wasn’t satisfied and still fretted.

“If you check his bag, I’m sure the only thing that’s missing will be his berries. The Impidimp are probably having a lovely feast right now.”

“When will he wake up?” Nessa asked. Raihan looked over to where Leon lay; he still looked like he was in a deep sleep, and being carried to Ballonlea hadn’t even disturbed him.

“Most likely in the morning, so there’s nothing we can do now except sleep ourselves. It’s late, and you young trainers need your rest. Come now, I have another spare room you girls can sleep in. You too, young man.”

This caught Raihan’s attention, and he burnt with embarrassment when he realised he’d been staring at Leon for a long time.

“Actually,” he muttered, “is it alright if I stay here? I want to keep an eye on Leon.”

“As you wish.” Opal replied, and she began leading the girls out of the room. Raihan couldn’t ignore the perplexed look Nessa was giving him; it made his stomach knot with more embarrassment.

Once Opal and the girls had left the room, closing the door behind them, Raihan pulled a chair up to Leon’s bed.

“What were you thinking Leon? All this because of our battle?” Raihan was talking to himself more than Leon, but it made him feel better to say it out loud.

Raihan hesitated, but then he quickly took Leon’s hand into his own; it was warm to the touch.

“What you doing, huh? Getting lost on purpose to make me feel bad?” Raihan gave Leon’s hand a squeeze as he spoke, hoping for some sort of reaction, but nothing.

Raihan sat in silence, just watching Leon and his Charmander sleep. His eyes grew heavy; it had been a very long day and it was so late. Raihan wondered if the sun would be rising soon. That was his last thought before he drifted to sleep, still sat in the chair, with his head resting on the bed next to Leon.

*****

“Raihan?”

Hearing his name, Raihan jolted awake, sitting upright in the chair he’d fallen asleep in. His back and neck hurt from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position, but he was more concerned about Leon, who was sitting upright in the bed, looking at Raihan. How long had he been awake? How long had he been watching Raihan while he slept? Raihan burnt with embarrassment again.

“What are you doing here?” Leon asked, his voice croaky from too much sleep.

Raihan tried to play off his embarrassment by playing it cool, stretching his arms to get the aches out, and yawning.

“You got lost in Glimwood and Sonia was worried about you, so she called me. She needed some back-up to help find you.”

Leon’s hair had gotten longer since Raihan had last seen him a few weeks ago. Now it was almost shoulder length, and he ran his fingers through it, trying to get the knots out.

“You didn’t need to come and look for me though.” Leon mumbled, playing with a strand of hair; his gaze directed to the bed sheets instead of Raihan. Raihan couldn’t bring himself to look at Leon either.

“I didn’t mind,” Raihan shrugged, “Sonia asked for my help and I wanted to help; that’s it.”

Neither of them said anything for a while, and Raihan fidgeted with the zip of his hoodie; there was more playing on his mind. Voice low and almost inaudible, he mumbled,

“I guess I wanted to help because I felt bad.”

“Why?” Leon asked, but Raihan still couldn’t bring himself to look up at Leon.

“Because after I beat you, you decided to travel on your own. Maybe, if I hadn’t beat you, you wouldn’t have gotten lost. Sonia was really worried about you.”

More silence, more time passed, then Leon spoke,

“Thank you Raihan.”

Raihan didn’t expect that response; it caught his attention and he looked up. Leon was beaming at him; a bright smile than made Raihan feel funny inside.

“I’m glad Sonia called you.” Leon added, “I’m glad you came.”

“Me too.” Raihan replied, smiling back at Leon. He felt warm inside, and he wasn’t really sure why.

* * *

**Present Day**

It was late by the time Raihan got to the hospital. Luckily the staff working on reception told him which ward and room Leon was in; a privilege for Raihan most likely because they knew who he was. He walked down the corridor towards Leon’s room as fast as he could without running; he could see Sonia and Nessa sat on the visitor chairs situated outside the room.

Nessa noticed him first,

“Raihan.” she stood to greet him and Sonia followed suit. 

Sonia looked exhausted, her eyes puffy and red from crying. Nessa looked tired too; probably the toll from worrying about Leon and energy spent consoling Sonia.

“Glad you could make it.” Nessa added.

“How is he?” Raihan asked, slightly out of breath after his fast walk.

“Sleeping.” Nessa replied.

Without further delay, Raihan went into Leon’s hospital room. Sure enough he was in his bed, the covers pulled over him. He looked bruised and battered, and Raihan felt his heart beat harder in his chest. Then he noticed Hop, sat in a chair pulled right up to his brother’s bed, resting his head on the sheets and drooling all over them in his sleep.

“What did the doctors say when they saw him?” Raihan asked quietly so as not to wake Hop.

Sonia was still unusually quiet, so Nessa replied,

“Luckily he hasn’t broken anything, but there’s a lot of bruising. He’s got bruised ribs, and those will take a while to fully heal. They want to keep him overnight too, just in case he’s got a concussion. To be honest, he’s been very lucky it wasn’t worse. I think the rest of us have suffered more with the worry and grief he’s given us.”

Nessa’s eyeline flicked to Sonia stood next to her, then to Hop.

Raihan was relieved, but he still hated to see Leon lying there, looking helpless. He wasn’t used to seeing Leon like this.

“You guys have been here holding the fort for long enough. How about you go back to the Rondelands hotel and get some rest? Take Hop with you, and I’ll stay here and keep Leon company.”

“Raihan, you don’t have to do that.” Sonia said, finally speaking up since Raihan's arrival.

“No, it’s fine,” Raihan interrupted, “I want to stay.”

He gave Nessa a look that only she would understand, and she got the message loud and clear.

“He’s right Sonia. Today’s been tough on you too and you need to rest.” Nessa took Sonia’s hand into her own and gave it a squeeze. Sonia looked at her girlfriend and sighed in defeat.

Raihan took it upon himself to wake Hop up,

“Hey mate, how about you head back to the hotel and get some sleep in a proper bed.” he gently placed hands on Hop’s shoulders to nudge him awake. He woke up and stared at Raihan in confusion.

“Huh, Raihan? When did you get here?”

“Not that long ago, but I’ll take care of Lee for you now I’m here.”

Hop rubbed his eyes,

“I must have dozed off…”

“Come on Hop,” Sonia reached a hand out for him to take, “there’s a bed in the Rondelands with your name on it.”

Hop, Sonia and Nessa left and Raihan took the seat that Hop had occupied. He could only imagine how worried Hop must have been; he idolised his big brother.

“What were you doing today, you big idiot.” Raihan muttered, pulling the chair closer to Leon’s bedside.

“Hey,” Leon replied quietly, his eyes still closed, “I’m not an idiot.”

Leon tried to adjust his position in bed, his eyes squeezing tight as he winced in pain.

“Hey, hey, take it easy.” Raihan said, standing up to help.

It took him a while, but Leon managed to sit upright in bed, Raihan adjusting the pillows that had been under his head to help support his back instead. The sheets had moved in the process, and Leon’s upper body was exposed, bandages around his torso clearly visible.

“Only an idiot would be trying to sit up in bed after bruising his ribs and getting a concussion.” Raihan chided Leon, but with a playful tone to his voice.

Leon smiled weakly in return,

“Like I said: not an idiot.”

“What were you doing, huh?” Raihan, feeling brave, reached for Leon’s hand that was closest to him and gave it a squeeze, “Why did you go alone?”

Leon shrugged,

“I thought I could handle Rose on my own. I wanted to protect everyone.” Leon paused in contemplation before continuing, “It was my fault Rose did what he did. It was my responsibility to stop him and save Galar.”

There was another pause as Leon lowered his gaze to stare at the bed sheets,

“And in the end, I was saved by my little brother and his best friend.”

Leon, normally so confident, looked so disappointed in himself. He was usually the life and spirit of any occasion, and it hurt Raihan to see him this way.

He wanted to reassure Leon that what Rose had done wasn’t his fault. He wanted to pull Leon into his arms and tell him that everything would be okay. He wanted to kiss Leon; to comfort him.

But despite Raihan’s fear of losing Leon, he was still more afraid of showing how he truly felt. All Raihan felt like he could do was put on his often worn facade, and try to play the role of Leon’s true rival.

“Come on!” Raihan exclaimed, letting go of Leon’s hand so he could open his arms wide, “It could have been worse! You could have lost to me!”

Raihan’s joke worked; it brought that familiar sparkle back to Leon’s eye, and he laughed.

“Yeah right, like that’s ever going to happen.” Leon teased.

“Aw see, just the thought of beating me is making you feel better already!”

Leon laughed again and they sat quietly looking at each other.

“Thank you for coming.” Leon added after a few moments of peace had passed.

Raihan smirked,

“Well, I wouldn’t be a very good rival if I didn’t come check on you, now would I? Gotta make sure your ass is still in one piece so I can kick it when we next battle, right?”

Leon smiled back; Raihan hoped he appreciated the jokes, and that they were taking Leon’s mind off the more serious matters. It’s the least he could do. There was so much more he wanted to do to help make Leon feel better, but that was off the cards. So for now, this was the least he could do.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments always appreciated ❤️
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading this first installment of my little au. What will happen next? Who knows... :3c
> 
> If you want to follow me on social media, I am most active on [twitter](https://twitter.com/lemonmangoes), and I use [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/lemonmangoessss/) and [tumblr](https://lemonmangosorbet.tumblr.com/) fairly regularly. Come follow me and watch how hard I can cry over these beautiful Pokemon boys lmao


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